2027: INEC Register Hits 103m

More than 103 million Nigerians are now on the National Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced after completing the latest voter registration exercise and a final biometric cleanup.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed the figure on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission.

Amupitan said the increase followed the conclusion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which attracted 10,772,421 new registrations before the final verification process.

The first phase of the exercise, which ran from August 25 to December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations, while the second phase, conducted between January 5 and April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations.

The third phase, which took place from May 11 to July 26, 2026, generated another 3,867,997 registrations, bringing the total number of new registrations across the three phases to 10,772,421.

INEC said the figure followed the completion of the Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup, although the commission had earlier indicated that the newly registered voters were subject to final verification through the biometric system.

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The commission also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, with newly produced cards distributed to Local Government Area collection centres for eligible voters.

Amupitan urged Nigerians who registered successfully to collect their PVCs promptly, while calling on the media to provide citizens with accurate information about collection centres and other electoral procedures.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the new BVAS devices have undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration to reduce the possibility of accreditation bypass and manual manipulation during elections.

INEC also said it had introduced an online registration portal during the third phase of the CVR exercise to reduce difficulties associated with distance and time, while printable Permanent Voter Cards were introduced under Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

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The commission said the printable PVC initiative was designed to reduce delays associated with the production and collection of voter cards, thereby making access to electoral documents easier for eligible voters.

Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities contained in its timetable for the 2027 elections and was progressing with the remaining activities.

The commission has also said it is strengthening its technology, logistics and result-management systems after reviewing lessons from recent off-cycle elections.

Amupitan said INEC was targeting a situation where voting would commence across polling units without unnecessary delays, with improved logistics and technology expected to support the process.

The commission has also begun early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to state offices, while operational vehicles have been procured for state and local government offices to improve the movement of personnel and materials.

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On vote buying, Amupitan said INEC was working with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to strengthen financial monitoring and surveillance during the elections.

He warned political actors and their agents against exchanging cash or material inducements for votes, saying such conduct would attract arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.

The development comes as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, with INEC’s published timetable setting the Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027 and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for February 6, 2027.

With the national register now above 103 million, INEC’s immediate priorities include PVC collection, continued voter education, electoral logistics, technology deployment and preparations for the remaining statutory stages of the electoral timetable.

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